Record-Breaking Triumphs at the England Age Group Championships

Between 23-25 February 2024, the England Age Group Championships were held at Maidstone Leisure Centre, Maidstone, Kent.

Across the 3 days there was an exceptional standard of lifting, with a final count of thirty one new British records being established, and a number of lifters breaking their newly established records more than once.

Friday round up

The Championships got under way with the U20 and U23 athletes. Twenty one new records were recognised by the end of the day. The first of the record breakers was Josie Griffiths in the U23 64kg category. Josie came away with records in the snatch (87kg) and total (192kg). Isabella Brown kept the records coming with a clean & jerk of 117 kg and new total record of 208kg in the U20 76kg category, the latter also being an U23 record. Madison Farley, lifting in the same group as Isabella, set a new clean & jerk record in the U23 76kg category with a lift of 118kg. Funmi Morgan, in the U23 81kg category came away with new records in the clean & jerk (107kg) and total (194kg); whilst in the U20 81kg category Lottie Absalom broke records across the board with a snatch of 89kg, clean & jerk of 103kg and total of 192kg. The final record breaker of the ladies was Leyna-May Dugu – who came away as a new triple record holder with a snatch of 78kg, clean & jerk of 100kg, giving a total of 178kg in the U20 +87kg category.

Myren Madden yet again broke British records in the U23 96kg category, with new figures across the board. He started with a new snatch record of 148kg, followed this with a new clean & jerk record of 182kg, giving of course a new total record of 330kg. Joshua Hutton impressed in the U20 102kg category, breaking his own records with a snatch of 144kg, clean & jerk of 163kg, and a total of 307kg. His new snatch record surpassed that in the U23 category.

Saturday round up

The U17 and U15 athletes took to the stage on the second day of the Championships. The first record breaker of the day was Aleksandra Walesa with a new snatch record of 38kg in the U15 40kg category. Following Aleksandra into the record books was Daisy Jones, with a triple record performance. Daisy snatched 58kg and clean & jerked 70kg, giving a total of 128kg in the U15 76kg category.

The records kept on coming in the next group, with U17 55kg lifter Eliza Pratt setting new figures in the snatch (67kg), clean & jerk (87kg) and total (154kg). Mention should be made of Amelia Pelta, who briefly held a new total record of 150kg. Not to be outshone, U17 59kg lifter Phoebe Davis also came away with a triple record performance with 77kg snatch, 86kg clean & jerk and 163kg total.

Sunday round up

The last day of the Championships saw the U12 and U10 lifters take to the platform. All of these young athletes impressed, not only with their enthusiasm and commitment, but also with their technique. Every single one achieved maximum technical points for at least one of their lifts. There were ten lifters who were outstanding and scored maximum points across the board. Well done Rudy Robinson, Ellis Underdown, Oliver Brooks, Jacob Goodwin, Savannah Henry-Cook, Georgia Jenkinson, Camryn Carter, Dua Khan, Charlotte Ripalda and Isobelle Webster!

British Weight Lifting would like to say a big thank you to everyone who made the England Age Group Championships such a success, especially the Technical Officials and loaders. It is very much appreciated.

We thank Maidstone council, particularly his Worshipful the Lord Mayor, councillor Naghi and the staff at Maidstone Leisure Centre for supporting us in bringing the Championships to Maidstone for the first time; and Maidstone Weightlifting Club for finding us such an excellent venue.

Thanks to our partners who continue to support us: Joymo, New Balance, SBD, Built for Athletes, Eleiko, SportsCover Europe and Sport and Fitness Flooring, and to our funding partners the National Lottery, Sport England and UK Sport for your continued support in helping us develop the sports of weightlifting and para powerlifting.

Finally, thank you to the athletes, coaches and supporters for creating such a fantastic atmosphere.